the very definition of charming

Although renown as a genius, a prodigy, virtuoso, and many other labels, the one I was bowled over by was how absolutely charming Itzhak Perlman was from the stage of the Van Wezel.  A terrific selection of music was made even more enjoyable by his lighthearted charm with the audience.  He was especially effective in teaching the audience (who must have been opera goers - who applaud at virtually every pause) about not applauding between movements of a composer's work.  He also had a moment or two of fun (for us) in teaching the tech staff about the lighting for the auditorium... house lights at 50% during the performance despite them being full bore for the entire first half of the program.

The timing of the concert (at 8 PM) meant we could all watch the sunset outside just before going in to our seats (fifth row center for us!)

 

the works announced from the stage include a Prokofiev, a Tchaikovsky, the theme from 

Schindler's List and several others... all performed after introductions by the again- very charming Perlman.  

Phil said he could think of no artist as "decorated" as Itzhak Perlman and the information from the program would bear that out- he has received pretty much every possible award and then some I think...

(all of the above taken directly from the program guide for last night)

I also found the ten commandments worth considering - 

Numbers VII and VIII being my own personal favorites - the singing along and shouting out song titles is probably my biggest pet peeve of this list of pet peeves.  

we did the full concert series last year- with three excellent concerts - by the Haifa Symphony, by Joshua Bell and by Lang-Lang - recounted in this prior post: http://semifreelife.semifreelife.com/2014/01/tchaikovsky-gesundheit.html

this was the only one for this year, as we have expanded our cultural outings with other choices including things like the Julian Sands one man show on Pinter, the National Theater LIVE, and Fogartyville concerts.... but this was certainly an excellent choice! A fabulous talent!!!!

And today, we are off to Ed Smith Stadium to see the Cardinals versus the Orioles in a spring training game. It will be our first time in this venue. (we have done spring training stadiums for the Yankees, Braves, Twins, Tigers, and Pirates (x3 because this is our local Bradenton team). So far my favorite venue has been the Joker Marchant Stadium (Tigers in Lakeland) because they are near Plant City and served strawberry shortcake with ice cream!!!    So I will report back on the experience at the Orioles- Cards game in Sarasota...

what's (on) second?

So my second class of the week is my "arts" class and we met up at Holley Hall for a visit to the Sarasota Orchestra-

A very interesting presentation by the admin folks at the Orchestra was accompanied in the background by a rehearsal of the Orchestra in the Holley Hall- while we were across the way in a "class room" style room...

a statue near the entrance to the box office- but the current conductor is from Estonia and her name is Anu Tali- and she is not your stereotyped conductor-

the facility has a gallery hall where they exhibit rotating art- today it is very colorful and just by chance we meet the artist -

a permanent piece located just outside the room where the Orchestra is rehearsing-

a practice hall- recently renovated- had wonderful acoustics-

we got to peek into the Library where all the scores are done for each musician - what an amazing amount of work that is!

here are some facts about the Sarasota Orchestra-

• They have about 80 full time musicians, who audition for positions with the Orchestra behind a screen so the decision is based upon merit/ability.  This system was originally used to ensure that women were not excluded from the important positions and has been the standard for quite some time - not just at this orchestra.
• The orchestra is unionized so it is subject to a lot of regulation and also has tenured positions for those who maintain a level of excellence.
• The orchestra performs (in various iterations and various venues) 125 concerts a year.   
• They have four series each year and many other special concerts- including a concert called "thrill of a lifetime" where young performers who have won a competition get to perform with the Sarasota Orchestra.
• The Orchestra plays at Holley Hall, Neel Auditorium and Van Wezel and even sometimes at the Opera House in Sarasota.
• They have an outreach program which sponsors every 4th and 5th grader in Sarasota and Manatee counties to a classical concert (more than 10,000 students) 
• They have a summer music camp for more than 300 students and a youth orchestra of over 300 students (up to and including a philharmonic- students are placed based on ability)
• The Orchestra used to be the Florida West Coast Orchestra and was re-branded in 2008 as the Sarasota Orchestra - they chose Orchestra over Symphony because it tested better (and likely gave them an opportunity to avoid the initials SS in a heavily Jewish community) the Orchestra 
• Hall is actually the Friedman Symphony Center which contains the Holley Hall performance venue and the David Kahn performance venue

A photo of the Thrill concert-

Then we were on to the Sarasota Art Center- just across the street-

• The Sarasota Art Association was established in 1926 as the first arts organization in Sarasota. 
• In 1941, the Association incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. 
• The City of Sarasota provided the Art Association, with a lease of land near the downtown area and in 1948, after the war, the association broke ground for its present building which was designed in the then-popular style of the Sarasota School of Architecture. The building opened in 1949 with only one gallery which is now known as Gallery 3. 
• The Atrium or “Patio Gallery” as it was called was later erected with donations from members and was enclosed in 1961. 
• In 1996, the Sam and Sally Shapiro Sculpture Garden was created 

some of the students at work during a class-

many classes to choose from-

one of the exhibits in the gallery space-

an outside piece-

a flyer for an upcoming sale and show- our teacher will be exhibiting there-

next up- my newest information from the Florida Maritime History Class or the Asolo play we saw this week with our friends- not sure which one will be done first (LOL- actually - third- I Don't Know)

the amazing facts

so this morning I started my second of three classes this term.  this one is called

INSIDER’S VIEW OF THE ARTS IN SARASOTA

Sarasota is truly the capital of the arts scene of the “Culture Coast” of Florida. In this course, we’ll explore Sarasota’s rich artistic heritage through class discussion and field trips.  We’ll learn about the birth of the Ringling Museum and John Ringling’s vision for Sarasota; visit the Ringling College of Art and Design and enjoy the creative energy of its students; discover the Towles Court artists’ colony; take a backstage tour of the Sarasota Ballet; visit the Palm Avenue galleries and talk to the owners; and tour backstage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and view their extensive art collection. Some of our explorations may involve entrance fees not covered by the course fee, and our meeting time may be adjusted for our visits to the Van Wezel, the Sarasota Ballet, and the Palm Avenue galleries.

along the way some folks have wondered how we ended up here- in the Sarasota Bradenton area. most know that my family has had roots here for all or part of their lives since the 30s and honestly it is possible that even before that my great grandfather had been coming here because this is where my grandmother met her future husband and where her brother settled when he married a local gal...

and while that may have been enough to get me to head in this direction when I tired of Chicago winters, it would not have been enough for my hubby--- however, he WAS impressed by the arts scene and the culture available in the area.  

painting - Kathleen Carrillo

as you know we have been regular theater goers at the Asolo and the FSU Rep and have participated at local wine events including the 1500 person extravaganza they call "Forks and Corks" (tickets sold out in three minutes this year.) and the Wine Walk to Ca d'Zan at the Ringling Museum.  the restaurant scene here (while no Chicago) is no slouch for a small city of less than a tenth the size of Chicago.  

So  I shouldn't have been too surprised by some of the numbers I learned this morning but still they are pretty mind boggling for a town this size...

last year when we did Forks and Corks I picked up a copy of Sarasota Magazine and they featured an article on attracting newcomers to the area-  and here is the scoop - right on the cover- 

No, that is not our two bedroom condo on the cover of the magazine- LOL- we live a bit more modestly but enjoy the same opportunities in the arts and culture scene here as the owner of that home does... that's the beauty of living here half the year - oh yeah - that and the fact that we completely missed "Chiberia" last winter and that today is sunny and 79*....  the blessings are abundant!

tomorrow class three (this time with Phil) on: how ethnic minorities influence the majority of American music 1900-1950... so stay tuned for more on that - and reports on our activities this coming weekend in Miami with daughter Angela, the famous lingerie designer!

a last shot

at the Asolo Theater before heading north after Easter- and a last film (of the ones I chose) at the Sarasota Film Festival (SFF)

but first a three word review of She's Beautiful When She's Angry- GO SEE IT- seriously - enough said... for anyone interested at all in the women's movement(s) of the mid 60s and early 70s of last century this is must see... and how could they possibly approach such a massive topic in 90 minutes? (but they did) Bravo!

saw that on Sunday night and then Wednesday GA and I headed to the Historic Asolo Theater to see 4000 Miles-

a little jewel box of a theater- it has been around for ages and was moved from a prior location on the Ringling Estate to the current Visitor's Center - lovely and intimate it was perfect for this particular play.

so for this winter we saw - everything between Philly and 4000 Miles on the promo list below- and I would say my favorite was Other Desert Cities- a comedy with gut wrenching truths about familial relationships- and then the very fun Vanya & Sonya tied with the intense Grapes... excellent season AGAIN!

now back to the Film Festival - for the Thursday showing of If You Take This-

the review- Time to go back and have your drugs re-titrated man... seriously- something is not right in your brain.

the festival runs through the weekend but I am headed to NYC for the opening of Racine's NY- a venture of a partnership including our friend Arno Tronche (wine geek) which has been many years in the making but has finally arrived- open to the public April 16th! (family and friends two days earlier in "soft openings" to practice)... so more on that later!